The present invention relates to a mounting bracket for mounting an electrical connector onto a panel or the like.
When using modern electrical devices it is often necessary to interconnect several of the devices and/or interconnect the internal components of one or more of these devices. The field of electrical connectors has proliferated in recent years, the development of such connectors resulting in a decrease in their size and an increase in their capacity.
While today's connectors are capable of carrying more connections than ever before, the miniaturization of today's electronic devices and, consequently, the electrical connectors, has made the attachment of such connectors to the devices more difficult. Such connectors typically comprise a male portion and a female portion and it is, quite obviously, necessary to mount one portion or the other to the electrical device, usually a wall panel or the like. The reduction in size of the electronic devices often necessitates the placement of the connector portions closely adjacent, or requires them to be located in inaccessible areas. Such locations render it extremely difficult to attach the connector portion to the panel and further renders the servicing of such connectors extremely difficult to carry out in a reasonable time.
Typically, the male or female connector portion is attached to the panel via studs extending through the panel and a portion of the connector. When the hold-down or mounting screws attaching the connector to the panel are tightened or loosened, the studs sometimes also turn. Excessive turning of the stud will cause the nuts and washers, which hold them on the panel, to come off and fall inside the electrical device, often causing catastrophic short circuiting.
Even if the nuts and washers do not completely fall off of the stud, or if self locking (aircraft type) nuts are used, if the stud turns it must be gripped with a pair of pliers while the hold-down screws are tightened or loosened. In areas in which the panel contains several such connectors, this is often not possible.
It is also known to retain the connector portions on a panel using wire clips that snap into a notch. While these alleviate some of the problems associated with hold down screws, they have not proven to be totally effective. The wire clips bend out of shape easily, often rendering them ineffective and inoperable. Heavy strain on the cable can uncouple the wire clips.
Some connectors are manufactured with a slide that is formed with keyhole shaped slots that engage special grooved studs. The connector is first engaged and the slide is slid laterally to engage the studs. The slides easily bend out of shape, thereby rendering it impossible to either insert or slide the connector.
On some electrical devices, the panel itself defines tapped holes to accept the retaining screws for the connector. This complicates the construction of the electrical device, since the panel must then be formed with a thickness sufficient to properly engage the hold-down screws. When one of the holes is stripped, not only is it impossible to install the connector portion, but the whole panel must then be replaced.